work

work

a. Physical or mental effort or activity directed toward the production or accomplishment of something: Cleaning the basement was a lot of work.

b. Such effort or activity by which one makes a living; employment: looking for work.

c. A trade, profession, or other means of livelihood: His work is fixing cars.

2.

a. The part of a day devoted to an occupation or undertaking: met her after work.

b. One's place of employment: Should I call you at home or at work?

3.

a. Something that one is doing, making, or performing, especially as an occupation or undertaking; a duty or task: begin the day's work.

b. An amount of such activity either done or required: a week's work.

c. The action or effect of an agency: The antibiotic seems to be doing its work.

4.

a. Something that has been produced or accomplished through the effort, activity, or agency of a person or thing: This scheme was the work of a criminal mastermind. Erosion is the work of wind, water, and time.

b. An act; a deed: "I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity"(Ecclesiastes 1:14).

c. An artistic creation, such as a painting, sculpture, or literary or musical composition, or a creative result of other human activity: an early work of Matisse; a scholarly work of great importance.

d. works The output of a writer, artist, or composer considered or collected as a whole: the works of Bach.

5.

a. works Engineering structures, such as bridges or dams.

b. A fortified structure, such as a trench or fortress.

6.

a. Needlework, weaving, lacemaking, or a similar textile art.

b. A piece of such textile art.

7. A material or piece of material being processed in a machine during manufacture: work to be turned in the lathe.

8. works(used with a sing. or pl. verb) A factory, plant, or similar building or complex of buildings where a specific type of business or industry is carried on. Often used in combination: a steelworks.

9. works Internal mechanism: the works of a watch.

10. The manner, style, or quality of working or treatment; workmanship.

11. Abbr. wPhysics The transfer of energy from one physical system to another, especially the application of a force to move a body in a certain direction. It is calculated as the product of the force and the distance over which it is applied and is expressed in joules, ergs, and foot-pounds.

12. works Moral or righteous acts or deeds: salvation by faith rather than works.

13. works

a. Informal The full range of possibilities; everything. Used with the:ordered a pizza with the works.

b. Slang A thorough beating or other severe treatment. Used with the:took him outside and gave him the works.

adj.

Of, relating to, designed for, or engaged in work.

v.worked also wrought(rôt), work·ing, works

v.intr.

1. To exert oneself physically or mentally in order to do, make, or accomplish something.

2. To be employed; have a job.

3.

a. To function; operate: How does this latch work?

b. To function or operate in the desired or required way: The telephone hasn't worked since the thunderstorm.

4.

a. To have a given effect or outcome: Our friendship works best when we speak our minds.

b. To have the desired effect or outcome; prove successful: This recipe seems to work.

5. To exert an influence. Used with on or upon: worked on her to join the group.

6. To arrive at a specified condition through gradual or repeated movement: The stitches worked loose.

7. To proceed or progress slowly and laboriously: worked through the underbrush; worked through my problems in therapy.

8. To move in an agitated manner, as with emotion: Her mouth worked with fear.

9. To behave in a specified way when handled or processed: Not all metals work easily.

10. To ferment.

11. Nautical

a. To strain in heavy seas so that the joints give slightly and the fastenings become slack. Used of a boat or ship.

b. To sail against the wind.

12. To undergo small motions that result in friction and wear: The gears work against each other.

v.tr.

1. To cause or effect; bring about: working miracles.

2. To cause to operate or function; actuate, use, or manage: worked the controls; can work a lathe.

Synonyms: work, labor, toil1, drudgery, travail These nouns refer to physical or mental effort expended to produce or accomplish something. Work is the most widely applicable: hard work in the fields; did some work around the house on weekends; a first draft that still needs work.Labor usually implies human work, especially of a hard physical or intellectual nature: a construction job that involves heavy labor."All scholarly work builds on the cumulative labors of others" (Jerome Karabel).Toil applies principally to strenuous, fatiguing labor: "a spirited woman of intellect condemned to farmhouse toil" (Cynthia Ozick).Drudgery suggests dull, wearisome, or monotonous work: "the drudgery of penning definitions and marking quotations for transcription" (Thomas Macaulay).Travail connotes arduous work involving pain or suffering: "prisoners of the splendor and travail of the earth" (Henry Beston).

6. the result of exertion, labor, or activity; a deed, performance, or product.

7. an engineering structure, as a building or bridge.

8. a building, wall, trench, or the like, constructed or made as a means of fortification.

9. works,

a. (used with a sing. or pl. v.) a place or establishment for manufacturing (often used in combination): ironworks.

b. the working parts of a machine: the works of a watch.

c. Theol. righteous deeds.

10. Physics. the transfer of energy, as measured by the scalar product of a force and the distance through which it acts.

11. the works,

a. everything; all related items or matters: a hamburger with the works.

b. harsh or cruel treatment.

adj.

12. of, for, or concerning work: work clothes.

v.i.

13. to do work; labor.

14. to be employed, esp. as a means of earning one's livelihood.

15. to be in operation; be functional, as a machine or system: The elevators are working again.

16. to act or operate effectively: This plan works.

17. to attain a specified condition, as by repeated movement: The nails worked loose.

18. to have an effect or influence, as on a person or on a person's mind or feelings.

19. to move in agitation, as the features under strong emotion.

20. to make way with effort or under stress: The ship works to windward.

21. to ferment, as a liquid.

22. Naut. to give slightly at the joints, as a vessel under strain at sea.

v.t.

23. to use, manage, or operate (an apparatus, contrivance, etc.).

24. to bring about (any result) by or as if by work or effort: to work a change.

25. to manipulate or treat by labor: to work butter.

26. to put into effective operation.

27. to make (a mine, farm, etc.) productive.

28. to carry on operations or activity in (a district or region): That salesman works the Northeast.

29. to make, fashion, or execute by work.

30. to achieve or win by work or effort.

31. to keep at work: to work one's employees hard.

32. to solve (a puzzle or arithmetic problem).

33. to cause a strong emotion in: to work a crowd into a frenzy.

34. to influence or persuade, esp. insidiously: to work other people to one's will.

35. to use to one's advantage: He worked his charm in landing a new job.

36. to make or decorate by needlework or embroidery.

37. to cause fermentation in.

38. work in or into,

a. to blend in.

b. to include after some effort: Try to work me into your schedule.

39. work off,

a. to lose or dispose of, as by exercise or labor: to work off a heavy meal with a long walk.

b. to pay or fulfill by working: to work off a debt.

40. work on or upon, to exercise influence on; persuade.

41. work out,

a. to bring about by work, effort, or action.

b. to solve, as a problem.

c. to arrive at by or as if by calculation.

d. to pay or fulfill by working; work off.

e. to exhaust, as a mine.

f. to issue in a result.

g. to evolve; elaborate.

h. (of a total, specified figure, etc.) to amount; add up: The total works out to 176.

i. to prove effective or successful: Their marriage just didn't work out.

j. to practice, exercise, or train, esp. in an athletic sport: boxers working out at a gym.

42. work over,

a. to study or examine thoroughly.

b. to beat unsparingly.

43. work through, to deal with successfully; come to terms with.

44. work up,

a. to move or stir the feelings of; excite.

b. to prepare; elaborate: Work up a proposal.

c. to cause to develop by exertion: to work up an appetite.

Idioms:

1. at work,

a. working, as at one's job.

b. in action or operation: machines at work.

2. in the works, in preparation or being planned.

3. out of work, unemployed; jobless.

[before 900; (n.) Middle English worke, Old English worc, replacing Middle English werk(e), Old English weorc, c. Old Frisian, Old Saxon werk, Old High German werah, werc, Old Norse verk, Greek érgon]

syn: work, drudgery, labor, toil refer to exertion of body or mind in performing or accomplishing something. work is a general word that refers to exertion that is either easy or hard: pleasurable work; backbreaking work.drudgery suggests continuous, dreary, and dispiriting work, esp. of a menial or servile kind: Cleaning these blinds is sheer drudgery.labor denotes hard manual work, esp. for wages: Repairing the bridge will require months of labor.toil suggests wearying or exhausting labor: The farmer's health was failing from constant toil.

work

(wûrk)

The transfer of energy from one object to another, especially in order to make the second object move in a certain direction. Work is equal to the amount of force multiplied by the distance over which it is applied. If a force of 10 newtons, for example, is applied over a distance of 3 meters, the work is equal to 30 newtons per meter (or 30 joules). Compare energy, power.

Being a president is like riding a tiger. A man has to keep on riding or be swallowed —Harry S. Truman

(Reagan’s nostalgic wit was contributing to the feeling that he) dropped in and out of his job, like a cameo star on “The Love Boat” —Gerald Gardner

(My mom) getting paid for giving advice is like the Cookie Monster getting paid for eating cookies —Glenn Sapadin, upon hearing that his mother, Linda Sapadin, was finalist in contest to select a replacement for advice columnist Ann Landers, New York Times/ About New York, April 11, 1987

This job [being a prize fighter] needs gorgeous concentration … it’s like being a priest; our work comes first —Clifford Odets

The job [dean at a university] is like being pecked to death by ducks —John Roche, lecture at Ohio State University, 1962.

Jobs are like lobster pots, harder to get out of them than into —Hugh Leonard

Labor like Hercules —William H. Gass

The only time some people work like a horse is when the boss rides them —Gabriel Heatter

Toiled like movers trying to get a refrigerator into a fifth-floor walk-up —Russell Baker

Toiling like a bee in a hive —Noël Coward, lyrics for “World Weary”

(Fifty-two Sundays a year … for three hours my mother was) unemployed in her own house. Like a queen —Philip Roth

Roth’s comparison of a mother to an unemployed queen comes from his novel, The Ghost Writer.

Unemployed people (i.e. actors between plays) like ghosts looking for bodies to inhabit —Gail Godwin

Work drives you like a motor —Janet Flanner

Working the rivet line [at auto factory] is like being paid to flunk high school the rest of your life —Ben Hamper in article on changes at General Motors, Mother Jones, September 1986

Work is as much a necessity to man as eating and sleeping —Karl Wilhelm Humboldt

Work like a beaver —American colloquialism

This expression was popularized by the fur trappers who roamed the Rockies during the nineteenth century. Like many such terms it has gained much wider currency and seeded offshoots like “Eager as a beaver” and “Busy as a beaver.”

Work like a Trojan —Anon

A still popular simile that had its origins in the Greek classics which portrayed the Trojans as hard workers.

The work was getting to be like licking stamps eight hours a day —Loren D. Estleman

work

Work can be a verb or a noun.

1. used as a verb

People who work have a job which they are paid to do.

You need to save money for when you stop working.

I work in a hotel.

You can use as with work to say what a person's job is.

Maria works as a nurse.

Be Careful!You use the progressive -ing form of work to talk about a temporary job, but simple forms to talk about a permanent job. For example, if you say 'I'm working in London', this suggests that the situation is temporary and you may soon move. If you say 'I work in London', this suggests that London is your permanent place of work.

He was working as a truck driver because his business venture had failed.

2. used as a noun

If you have work, you have a job which you are paid to do.

There are many people who can't find work.

The website has information on many different types of work.

When someone has a job, you can say that they are in work.

Fewer and fewer people are in work.

When someone does not have a job, you can say that they are out of work.

action - the most important or interesting work or activity in a specific area or field; "the action is no longer in technology stocks but in municipal bonds"; "gawkers always try to get as close to the action as possible"

job - a damaging piece of work; "dry rot did the job of destroying the barn"; "the barber did a real job on my hair"

job - the performance of a piece of work; "she did an outstanding job as Ophelia"; "he gave it up as a bad job"

procedure, operation - a process or series of acts especially of a practical or mechanical nature involved in a particular form of work; "the operations in building a house"; "certain machine tool operations"

service - work done by one person or group that benefits another; "budget separately for goods and services"

polishing, shining - the work of making something smooth and shiny by rubbing or waxing it; "the shining of shoes provided a meager living"; "every Sunday he gave his car a good polishing"

heavy lifting - difficult work; "the boss hoped the plan would succeed but he wasn't willing to do the heavy lifting"

coursework - work assigned to and done by a student during a course of study; usually it is evaluated as part of the student's grade in the course

2.

work - a product produced or accomplished through the effort or activity or agency of a person or thing; "it is not regarded as one of his more memorable works"; "the symphony was hailed as an ingenious work"; "he was indebted to the pioneering work of John Dewey"; "the work of an active imagination"; "erosion is the work of wind or water over time"

learning, acquisition - the cognitive process of acquiring skill or knowledge; "the child's acquisition of language"

5.

work - (physics) a manifestation of energy; the transfer of energy from one physical system to another expressed as the product of a force and the distance through which it moves a body in the direction of that force; "work equals force times distance"

do work, work - be employed; "Is your husband working again?"; "My wife never worked"; "Do you want to work after the age of 60?"; "She never did any work because she inherited a lot of money"; "She works as a waitress to put herself through college"

serve - devote (part of) one's life or efforts to, as of countries, institutions, or ideas; "She served the art of music"; "He served the church"; "serve the country"

work - operate in a certain place, area, or specialty; "She works the night clubs"; "The salesman works the Midwest"; "This artist works mostly in acrylics"

laze, slug, idle, stagnate - be idle; exist in a changeless situation; "The old man sat and stagnated on his porch"; "He slugged in bed all morning"

2.

work - be employed; "Is your husband working again?"; "My wife never worked"; "Do you want to work after the age of 60?"; "She never did any work because she inherited a lot of money"; "She works as a waitress to put herself through college"

freelance - work independently and on temporary contracts rather than for a long-term employer

work - operate in a certain place, area, or specialty; "She works the night clubs"; "The salesman works the Midwest"; "This artist works mostly in acrylics"

3.

work - have an effect or outcome; often the one desired or expected; "The voting process doesn't work as well as people thought"; "How does your idea work in practice?"; "This method doesn't work"; "The breaks of my new car act quickly"; "The medicine works only if you take it with a lot of water"

make for, wreak, bring, work, play - cause to happen or to occur as a consequence; "I cannot work a miracle"; "wreak havoc"; "bring comments"; "play a joke"; "The rain brought relief to the drought-stricken area"

transform, transmute, transubstantiate - change or alter in form, appearance, or nature; "This experience transformed her completely"; "She transformed the clay into a beautiful sculpture"; "transubstantiate one element into another"

shape, mould, mold, form, forge, work - make something, usually for a specific function; "She molded the rice balls carefully"; "Form cylinders from the dough"; "shape a figure"; "Work the metal into a sword"

work - proceed towards a goal or along a path or through an activity; "work your way through every problem or task"; "She was working on her second martini when the guests arrived"; "Start from the bottom and work towards the top"

8.

work - operate in a certain place, area, or specialty; "She works the night clubs"; "The salesman works the Midwest"; "This artist works mostly in acrylics"

do work, work - be employed; "Is your husband working again?"; "My wife never worked"; "Do you want to work after the age of 60?"; "She never did any work because she inherited a lot of money"; "She works as a waitress to put herself through college"

work - exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity; "I will work hard to improve my grades"; "she worked hard for better living conditions for the poor"

9.

work - proceed towards a goal or along a path or through an activity; "work your way through every problem or task"; "She was working on her second martini when the guests arrived"; "Start from the bottom and work towards the top"

work, make - proceed along a path; "work one's way through the crowd"; "make one's way into the forest"

go, proceed, move - follow a procedure or take a course; "We should go farther in this matter"; "She went through a lot of trouble"; "go about the world in a certain manner"; "Messages must go through diplomatic channels"

10.

work - move in an agitated manner; "His fingers worked with tension"

move, displace - cause to move or shift into a new position or place, both in a concrete and in an abstract sense; "Move those boxes into the corner, please"; "I'm moving my money to another bank"; "The director moved more responsibilities onto his new assistant"

11.

work - cause to happen or to occur as a consequence; "I cannot work a miracle"; "wreak havoc"; "bring comments"; "play a joke"; "The rain brought relief to the drought-stricken area"

create, make - make or cause to be or to become; "make a mess in one's office"; "create a furor"

work, act - have an effect or outcome; often the one desired or expected; "The voting process doesn't work as well as people thought"; "How does your idea work in practice?"; "This method doesn't work"; "The breaks of my new car act quickly"; "The medicine works only if you take it with a lot of water"

warm up - cause to do preliminary exercises so as to stretch the muscles; "The coach warmed up the players before the game"

apply, employ, use, utilise, utilize - put into service; make work or employ for a particular purpose or for its inherent or natural purpose; "use your head!"; "we only use Spanish at home"; "I can't use this tool"; "Apply a magnetic field here"; "This thinking was applied to many projects"; "How do you utilize this tool?"; "I apply this rule to get good results"; "use the plastic bags to store the food"; "He doesn't know how to use a computer"

cybernate, computerise, computerize - control a function, process, or creation by a computer; "They computerized the car industry"; "we live in a cybernated age"; "cybernate a factory"

do work, work - be employed; "Is your husband working again?"; "My wife never worked"; "Do you want to work after the age of 60?"; "She never did any work because she inherited a lot of money"; "She works as a waitress to put herself through college"

gear up, prepare, ready, set, fix, set up - make ready or suitable or equip in advance for a particular purpose or for some use, event, etc; "Get the children ready for school!"; "prepare for war"; "I was fixing to leave town after I paid the hotel bill"

knead, work - make uniform; "knead dough"; "work the clay until it is soft"

move, displace - cause to move or shift into a new position or place, both in a concrete and in an abstract sense; "Move those boxes into the corner, please"; "I'm moving my money to another bank"; "The director moved more responsibilities onto his new assistant"

apply, employ, use, utilise, utilize - put into service; make work or employ for a particular purpose or for its inherent or natural purpose; "use your head!"; "we only use Spanish at home"; "I can't use this tool"; "Apply a magnetic field here"; "This thinking was applied to many projects"; "How do you utilize this tool?"; "I apply this rule to get good results"; "use the plastic bags to store the food"; "He doesn't know how to use a computer"

make hay - turn to one's advantage; "The environmentalist lobby made hay of the nuclear plant accident"

avail, help - take or use; "She helped herself to some of the office supplies"

prey, feed - profit from in an exploitatory manner; "He feeds on her insecurity"

work - provoke or excite; "The rock musician worked the crowd of young girls into a frenzy"

use - seek or achieve an end by using to one's advantage; "She uses her influential friends to get jobs"; "The president's wife used her good connections"

24.

work - find the solution to (a problem or question) or understand the meaning of; "did you solve the problem?"; "Work out your problems with the boss"; "this unpleasant situation isn't going to work itself out"; "did you get it?"; "Did you get my meaning?"; "He could not work the math problem"

change state, turn - undergo a transformation or a change of position or action; "We turned from Socialism to Capitalism"; "The people turned against the President when he stole the election"

ferment, work - cause to undergo fermentation; "We ferment the grapes for a very long time to achieve high alcohol content"; "The vintner worked the wine in big oak vats"

27.

work - arrive at a certain condition through repeated motion; "The stitches of the hem worked loose after she wore the skirt many times"

become, get, go - enter or assume a certain state or condition; "He became annoyed when he heard the bad news"; "It must be getting more serious"; "her face went red with anger"; "She went into ecstasy"; "Get going!"

Quotations"I just don't happen to think [work]'s an appropriate subject for an ethic" [Barbara Ehrenreich Goodbye to the Work Ethic]"Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion" [N. Northcote Parkinson Parkinson's Law]"I mean, really: Why work? Simply to buy more stuff?" [Douglas Coupland Generation X]"Work is the curse of the drinking classes" [Oscar Wilde]"Work is the great cure of all maladies and miseries that ever beset mankind" [Thomas Carlyle]"If any would not work, neither should he eat" Bible: II Thessalonians"All that matters is love and work" [attributed to Sigmund Freud]"Anyone can do any amount of work, provided it isn't the work he is supposed to be doing" [Robert Benchley]

All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional.